Flashing machine for electric lamps



Nov. 22, 1960 G. J. HARDWICK 2,961,285

FLASHING MACHINE FOR ELECTRIC LAMPS Filed June 3, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Invezn tor: Geov c e JHaT'dwick, b5 0123f His A t' bo neg.

Nov. 22, 1960 G. J. HARDWICK 2,961,285

FLASHING MACHINE FOR ELECTRIC LAMPS Filed June 5, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 lnvean bofi Z2 GeoT' e J; Havdwick, b9 (9%" f Hi5 A t to neg.

FLASHING MACHINE FOR ELECTRIC LAMPS George J. Hardwick, Wicklilie, Ohio, assignor to General Electric Company, a corporation of New York Filed June 3, 1958, Ser. No. 739,578

Claims. (Cl. 31632) This invention relates generally to electric lamp making apparatus, and more particularly to apparatus for flashing electric incandescent lamps wherein the lamp filament is lighted by passing electric current therethrough, usually at progressively increasing voltage to effect a recrystallization and setting of the tungsten filament.

It has heretofore been the usual practice to perform the flashing operation on a so-called finishing machine wherein the lamp is finally completed by attachment of the lead-in wires to the contacts of the lamp base, usually by soldering or welding, followed by the flashing operations. However, there has recently been developed a line of incandescent lamps having a coiled-coil filament mounted to extend axially of the lamp bulb instead of the conventional transverse mounting. Since the lamps are held in a vertical base-up position in the finishing machine, this means that the coiled filaments of the new lamps are also in a vertical position. However, it has been found that when the lamps are flashed with the filament in a vertical position there is a tendency for the turns of the coiled filament to sag with resultant nonuniformity of spacing between the turns due to the effects of gravity as well as unequal heating and annealing of the lead-in wires which support the upper and lower ends of the filament. Any such non-uniformity is quite critical because of the extremely small spacing between the coil turns.

It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a new and novel machine for flashing the lamp when in a horizontal position. A feature of the machine is the provision of heads which serve as their own transfer members whereby to grasp a vertically disposed lamp presented thereto by a head in the finishing machine and transfer it to a horizontal position in the flashing machine.

Further features and advantages of the invention will appear from the following description of a species thereof and from the drawing wherein:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of a flashing machine comprising the invention and including a fragmentary portion of an associated finishing machine;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary elevation of the flashing machine and finishing machine at a loading station with the lamp in its transferred position;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary elevation of the flashing machine head at its pick-up position when receiving the lamp;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary elevation, partly in section, along the line 4-4 in Fig. '7, and showing a head of the flashing machine;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary elevation showing electrical contact means at a flashing station;

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the drive shaft and associated actuating cam; and

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary elevation of mechanism at the unloading station.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, the flashing machine FL comprises a rotatable turret '1 having mounted at the periphery thereof a plurality (16) of heads 2 which are indexed by the turret in a clockwise direction (as viewed from above in Fig. 1) to a plurality of stationsA to P, inclusive. The turret 1 is fixed to a vertical rotatable column or shaft 3 which is journalled in a bearing 4 in a fixed table 5. Also fixed to the shaft 3 is a spider 6 carrying at its periphery a plurality of indexing rollers 7 (Figs. 2 and 6) corresponding in number to the number of heads 2 and engaged by a conventional sine-type indexing cam 8 on drive shaft 9 to periodically index the turret 1 from station to station with a dwell period at each station. The shaft 9 may be driven from and in synchronism with the drive shaft (not shown) of the finishing machine FI through a sprocket 8 and chain 9'.

As shown in Fig. 2, the lamps 10 each comprise a glass bulb having a neck portion 11 with a base secured thereto and comprising a screw-threaded metal shell 12 and an end eyelet contact 13 separated from the shell by an insulating glass web. The bulb contains an axially arranged coiled-coil fialment 14 supported by lead wires 15 and 16 which are connected at their outer ends respectively to the shell 12and end contact 13 of the base.

The lamps are delivered to station A in a vertical base-up position (Fig. 3) by heads on the finishing machine FI, each comprising a holder 17 against which the end of the lamp base is urged by a three-fingered cradle 18 (Fig. 2) in which the lamp bulb is nested and which is carried by the end of a spindle 19 which is mounted for vertical reciprocation in a bracket 20 and is urged upward by a spring 21 bearing against a collar 22 fixed to spindle 19. The bracket 20, on which the holder 17 is also supported, is carried at the periphery of the turret 23 of the finishing machine which is indexed in synchronism withv the turret of the flashing machine FL. The head of the finishing machine also comprises a heat shield comprising split halves 24 (Fig. 1) having ex tension arms 25 and pivoted about a pin 26. During the time the heat shield is at station A, the halves 24 are held in open position, away from the lamp 10 and against the action of a spring 28, by engagement of rollers 27 on the ends of arms 25 with a stationary cam 29.

The heads 2 of the flashing machine F1 are designed to function as their own transfer members in grasping a lamp 10 from the head of the finishing machine at station A and carrying it to a horizontal position under the turret 1. To that end, each of the heads 2 comprises an arm portion 30 (Figs. 2 and 3) which extends horizontally and radially of the turret and is fixed to a horizontal pin or shaft 31 journalled in a bracket 32 fixed to the underside of the turret 1. For pivoting the arm 30, there is an extension arm 33 fixed to the shaft 31 and extending outwardly of the turret and provided at its end with a roller 34. The arm 30 is normally held securely in a horizontal position by engagement of a latch 35 with a notch 36 in the free end of arm 30; the latch 35 is pivoted on a pin 37 in bracket 32 and is normally held in locking position by a spring 38.

For supporting the lamp and making a grounded electrical connection to the base shell 12, the head 2 also comprises a pair of V-shaped sheet metal supporting and contact jaws 39 (Fig. 4) carried by arms 40 which are fixed to respective pins 41 journalled in flanges 42 (Fig. 7) depending from arm 30. Also fixed to the respective pins 41 are a pair of intermeshing gears 43 (Fig. 4) which cause the jaws 39 to open and close together. The jaws 39 are held in closed position by a spring 44 which is connected to and between pins 45 in the respective jaw arms 40, the horizontal line through pins 45 being below the line through the pivot pins 41. The spring 44 also serves at other times to hold the jaws 39 open when the arms 40 are rotated apart to a position such that the:

line through pins 45 is above the line through pivot pins 41. The spring .44is also assisted in holding the jaws in either the open or closed position by a latch 46 which is biased by a spring 47 attached to a pin 48 and which carries a roller 49 which bears against a corner of one arm 40 in the closed position of the jaws, as shownin Fig. 4, or against a notch 50 inthe side ofsaid arm 49 when it is in openposition. The latch 46 ispivoted at.51 on a bar 53 which is fixed .to the arm 30 and which also carries the pin 48. The lamp is also additionally supported by a pair of wire clips or fingers.52 which are secured to respective pins 45 to open and close with the jaw arms .40.

As the heads 2 move into the loading station A, with the jaws 39 in open position, the roller 34 onarm 33 enters a s1ot55 in an operating arm' 56 (Fig. 2). The arm 56 is mounted on a pair of upright shafts 57 which reciprocate in a bracket 58 on table 5. The shafts 57 are connected at their lower ends by a cross bar 59 to a connecting rod 60 which is actuated through a lever arm 61 (Fig. 6) by a cam 62 on drive shaft 9.

The transfer arm 30 is then unlatched by pivotal movement of the latch 35 (Fig. 2) upon actuation of an air cylinder 63 which is supported above the turret on a bracket arm 64 (Fig. 1), vertical rod 65 and bracket 66 which is fixed to table 5. The air cylinder 63 is actuated at the beginning of the dwell period of the head at sta tion A to moves its plunger 66' forward and pivot the latch 35 counterclockwise in Fig. 2, the operation of cylinder 63 being controlled by a solenoid valve 67 (Fig. 6) which controls the supply of compressed air through conduits 67' or 68 to cylinder 63 and which is, in turn, controlled by a microswitch 68 and cam 69 on shaft 9.

The transfer arm 30 is then rotated 90 downward to a vertical position, as shown in Fig. 3, by upward movement of the connecting rod 60, shaft 57 and arm 56 to pivot the arm 33 and thereby rotate the shaft 31 and transfer arm 30. The jaws 39 and fingers 53 are then closed by a quick upward movement of the curved cam surface of a striker member 76 (Figs. 2 and 6) into engagement with a roller 71 (Fig. 4) on one of the jaw arms 40 to push the roller 71 and arms 40 forward to closed position where they are held by the over-center shift of spring 44. The striker member 70 is carried at the end of an arm 72 which is pivoted at 73 on a bracket 74 on table 5, and is controlled by a connecting rod *75 attached to arm 76 which is pivoted upward, and quickly retracted, by a cam 77 on shaft 9.

With the lamp securely gripped by the jaws 39 and fingers 53, the spindle 19 (Fig. 2) of the lamp holding head on the finishing machine F1 is pulled down to lower the cradle fingers 18 clear of the lamp bulb, the lamp is then swung up under the turret 1 by rotation of the holder arm 30 when the control arm 56 is again lowered by cam 62 to the position shown in Fig. 2; and the latch 35 reengages the slot 36 in arm 31) when the air cylinder 63 is again actuated to retract its plunger 66' by operation of the solenoid valve 67 (Fig. 6) under the control of cam 69 and switch 68. These operations occur during the dwell of the head 2 at station A, after which the turret 1 is indexed and the roller 34 on arm 33 is removed from the slot 55 in operating arm 56.

The lowering of spindle 19 (Fig. 2) is effected in proper synchronism by a cam 78 (Fig. 6) through a follower arm 79, connecting rod 80 and arm 81 having a finger portion 82 engaging a roller 83 on the collar 22 on spindle 19. However, at the time the lamp holding heads 17-18 of finishing machine F1 is indexed into station A, the spindle 19 is preliminarily lowered a slight amount (about one-quarter inch) to permit the lamp to drop down and partially release the end of the lampbase 12 13 from a pocket in the underside of holder 17 before it is gripped by the jaws 39; this is effected when the roller 83 comes into engagement with the curved surface 84 (Fig. 6) on the underside of the camming finger 82 and is depressed thereby before the arm 81 is pivoted 4 downward to release the cradle fingers 18 from the lamp.

When the lamp is swung up under the turret 1, the tip of the bulbous end of the bulb is brought into a pocket 85 defined by the beveled edge of an aperture in a holder 26 (of wood, for example) which is supported from the turret by a suitable bracket 87; the lamp is thereby securely held against axial displacement in the jaws 39. It will be evident that a holder 86 is associated with each head 2. When a head 2 is-indexed to station B, thelamp is further supported against downward displacement and is locked into the pocket 85 of-its associated holder 86 by engagement with a stationaryrail 88 (Figs. 1 and 2) which extends around the turret to a point beyond the unloading station N and is supported from the table 5 by brackets 89.

At stations C to L the lamp is flashed by lighting the filament 14 to age it in accordance with a well known cycle wherein current is passed therethrough at progressively increasing voltages to set the crystal structure of the tungsten filament. For this purpose electrical connection to the filament is made by contact means located at each of stations C to L (and shown in Fig. 5 and Fig. 1 at station L) and comprising a contact member 90 having an arcuate contact surface and mounted on a metallic lever arm 91 which is pivoted on a vertical pin 92 in a bracket means 93 mounted on table 5. The contact arm 91 is biased toward the end contact 13 of the lamp base by a spring 94 which is attached to bracket 93 and which holds the arm 91 against a stop screw 95 with the surface of contact 90 in the path of travel of the base end eontact 13. Any tendency of the axial pressure of contact 90 against the lamp to displace the lamp in the contact jaws 39 is resisted by engagement of the lamp bulb with the holder 86.

Electrical power is conveyed from one side of a power line to the contact arm 91 by a conductor 96, the arm being electrically insulated from the remainder of the machine in any suitable manner, for instance by an insulating bushing on pin 92; the circuit through the lead wires 15-16 and filament 14 is completed through the base shell 12 by the clamp jaws 39 which are grounded through the machine to the other side of the power line. It will be evident that spring 94 and screw 95 are also suitably insulated electrically from bracket 93.

At station N the lamps 10 are unloaded into a suitable guide means such as a chute 97 (Fig. 7). The unloading is eifected by opening the jaws 39 and fingers 53 when the roller 71 on one of the jaw arms 40 is pushed upward by a rod or spindle 98, the said jaw arms 40 being pivoted about pins 41 and thereafter maintained in open position when the spring 44 passes above the line between said pivot pins 41. The push rod 98 is mounted for vertical reciprocation in a bracket 99 on table 5 and is actuated, during the dwell of head 2 at station N, by a cam 100 on shaft 9 through a follower arm 101, link 102 and crank arm 103.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

I. A flashing machine for electric lamps comprising a turret mounted to rotate about a ventical axis and having a head on the periphery thereof, means for intermittently indexing said turret to carry the head successively to a plurality of stations positioned around said turret, said head comprising an arm pivotally mounted on said turret and carrying contact jaws for gripping the shell portion of the base of a lamp and holding said lamp in a horizontal position, means operable during the dwell of a head at a loading station to pivot said arm to a pick-up position and close said contact jaws upon the base shell of a vertically disposed lamp presented thereto and to then retract said arm to its original position with the lamp disposed horizontally, contact means each fixedly located at a station in the path of and to be engaged by an end contact on the base of a lamp as the same is indexed from station to stationand means for supplying 3 electrical energy in increasing degree to said contact jaws and to said contact means for completing an electrical circuit through the lamp.

2. The invention of claim 1 wherein said arm is mounted on a horizontal pivot to extend horizontally and radially inward of the turret, holding means for normally holding said arm in said horizontal position, and said jaws depend from said arm in its normal position for gripping the shell portion of the base of a lamp and holding the lamp in a horizontal position.

3. The invention of claim 2 wherein said holding means includes latch means normally holding said arm in said horizontal position, and means operable to efiect release of said latch means from engagement with said arm just prior to the downward pivoting of said arm and to efiect re-engagement of the latch means with said arm upon the return pivotal movement of the arm to its original horizontal position.

4. The invention of claim 1 wherein said pick-up position of said arm is vertical and said jaws are mounted for pivotal movement between opened and closed positions and have connected therebetween a spring arranged with respect to the pivot axis of said jaws and located at opposite sides of said axis in the respective opened and closed positions of said jaws whereby to alternatively 6 maintain the jaws in either position, and means at a subsequent station for urging said jaws to open position whereby to release the lamp carried thereby.

5. The invention of claim 1 wherein said arm is mounted on a horizontal pivot to extend horizontally and radially inward of the turret, holding means for normally holding said arm in said horizontal position, said jaws depending from said arm in its normal position for gripping the shell portion of the base of a lamp and holding the lamp in a horizontal position, holder means mounted on said turret and having therein a pocket to receive the tip of the lamp opposite its base when the lamp is carried to horizontal position by said transfer arm whereby to resist axial displacement of the lamp in said contact jaws, and said contact means is provided at subsequent stations and arranged to engage, by pressure axially of the lamp, said end contact on the base of said lamp.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,708,756 Fagan Apr. 9, 1929 2,829,782 Roeber Apr. 8, 1958 2,832,478 Malewicz et al Apr. 29, 1958 

